Background

In this article I will mention three recent developments in the eschatological debate. I chose these for two reasons: they directly impact the Chalcedon Report audience; and they are making a significant impact in broader evangelical circles. In the mid-1990s Darrell L. Bock and C. Marvin Pate, two editors involved in Zondervan’s CounterPoints series, approached me about these three matters, which are: (1) The radical transformations within dispensationalism; (2) the remarkable resurgence of postmillennialism; and (3) the re-emergence of orthodox preterism.

When Darrell Bock (then of Dallas Theological Seminary) called me in 1994 about joining with him in producing Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond (1999), he particularly mentioned his interest in distinguishing this new work from Clouse’s The Meaning of the Millennium (1977), now two decades old. He noted that it was now quite dated. Not only were three of the four authors deceased (Ladd, Boettner, and Hoeksema), but the eschatological landscape had undergone fundamental changes (except for amillennialism, which is so bland and general as to be asking of prophecy: “Hey, bro! Wha’s happnin?”). Bock surprised me when he noted that neither classic dispensationalism nor historic premillennialism would be included (as in Clouse’s work) — due to the rising prominence of progressive dispensationalism. Furthermore, he requested that I present the re-invigorated postmillennial view which included theonomy and preterism.

Progressive dispensationalist Marvin Pate (of Moody Bible Institute) first called me in 1996 to see if I would be interested in contributing to Four Views on the Book of Revelation. He specifically expressed his appreciation for my preterist writings, noting that they had influenced him in developing his own understanding of the Olivet Discourse and the Book of Revelation. His Doomsday Delusions favorably cited some of my works. Furthermore, he commented that the Four Views book would present two dispensational views of Revelation: classic dispensationalism and progressive dispensationalism, noting that they fundamentally differ in their analysis of Revelation, the capstone of biblical prophecy. Gone were the days of classic dispensational hegemony. Thus, progressive dispensationalism was asserting itself in the market place of ideas, and beginning to shake up the old line dispensational establishment. And orthodox preterism was beginning both to gain a hearing and to be granted a seat at the table. No longer was the decked stacked against it.

These remarkable episodes in my own experience suggest to me the significance of the three matters I have chosen to highlight in this article.